Overview
- A Pollytix survey conducted in early August put the AfD at roughly 43 percent, well ahead of the CDU and reshaping strategic calculations for the 6 September state election.
- In the MDR ‘Fakt ist! Wahlarena’ on Wednesday, CDU Minister‑President Sven Schulze said he would not include AfD or Left ministers in a cabinet he leads, drawing a public red line on coalition partners.
- AfD lead candidate Ulrich Siegmund received substantial speaking time at the forum and used conciliatory language to appeal to voters, while citizens in the audience voiced strong fears that AfD policies threaten democratic norms.
- BSW founder Sahra Wagenknecht signalled her party would abstain in a potential third ballot in the state parliament, a move that could enable an AfD candidate to become minister‑president even if no party reaches an absolute majority.
- Locally, the Landratsamt rejected a Freie Sachsen complaint about the Aue‑Bad Schlema mayoral result but the challenger has announced plans to sue at the Verwaltungsgericht, leaving the winner’s formal assumption of office unresolved.